Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Brunch Week: Polenta Rancheros

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A big bowl of Polenta Rancheros and side salad with fresh corn and grated zucchini. What, exactly, is involved in Polenta Rancheros, you ask? Mostly, this dish is made of black beans simmered in a spiced tomato sauce, topped with a fluffy spoonful of polenta, which is all then topped with fresh guacamole. In short, a huge amount of awesomeness is involved! We could each have eaten about six bowls of this savory standout.

The Goods: Yes, Brunch Week is maybe our most favorite theme of all. Holy heck, every recipe we've made so far has been amazing. Congratulations to Connie, our lucky winner from yesterday's comments! Connie, send us an email with your full name and mailing address, and your copy of Vegan Brunch will be sent out asap! For today's copy of this too-good-to-be-true tome, tell us in the comments: What's your fantasy brunch dish? Yes, you have to pick just one, and of course it has to be vegan!

Anything with morel mushrooms! All year, I look forward to the day that I come home from mushroom hunting with a few of those suckers to fry up with my scrambled tofu or marinate and stuff into a pita pocket with cilantro hummus.

Fantasy brunch?!?!!My mouth is watering with thoughts of a savory "roadhouse hash" made up of seasoned tofu, chopped broccoli, carrots, new potatoes, scallions and black beans simmered in a vegan broth topped off with vegan parmesan served over maple wheat toast.Accompanied by watermelon mimosas.

Some sort of vegan recreation of one of IHOP's stuffed french toast, plus savory vegan sausages on the side, whatever is the freshes fruit you can find (to make me feel less guilty), and a big cup of hot Joe.

Ideal bruch...? A veggie-heavy tofu scramble (broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatos, spinach, and asparagus) with a side of vegan french toast, topped with banana, strawberries, and blueberries. I'm drooling even thinking about this!

A frittata, with the base being a blend of crimini and shitake mushrooms, tofu, and spinach - mixed with fresh thyme and scallions, thinly sliced potatoes, nutritional yeast, the zest of one lemon, salt and pepper, and served with vegan parmesan.

i think my fantasy brunch dish would be the most delicious french toast ever. i believe i have come close, but there is nothing like an amazingly vanilla-y cinnamon-y french toast with delicious coffee, fresh fruit and MAYBE a bellini. but perhaps i am asking too much! Mmmm....

Had to re-do, because apparently I don't understand the concept of "just one." If I had to pick just one, I'm going to go with tofu scramble. Not a terribly original answer, but the dish is quite "customized" with toasted cumin seed, lots of nutritional yeast, tons of sauteed veggies... Droool.c

I had my fantasy brunch dish recently on a trip to Cleveland, at a little place called Lucky's Cafe: it's called the "Canoewreck," essentially curried tofu hash with potatoes, spinach, zucchini, and lots of other veggies, spices, and nutritional yeast. It was delicious!